Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy

8 reviews

emory's review

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cursing, Misogyny, Gore, Blood, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Sexual assault, Murder, Animal death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Excrement and Vomit

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

story_of_steph's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I’m not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t that. Weird. I didn’t love it but didn’t hate it either.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Torture

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Excrement, and Mass/school shootings

sonygaystation's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Holy motherfucking shit. This book hit exactly right in all the places it wanted to hit. I was NOT expecting a cis man to be able to do this kind of exploration of female rage and gender but holy shit. I’m in love with this book. I had so much fun through all the nasty humans and gore, and I LOVED Mary and her aunt even though her aunt is the absolute worst human and Mary herself needs some work. But damn y’all Nat Cassidy did the thing because despite being 20 years younger than the MC, I related so much to her. Also it just makes my year when I can find genuine horror that’s not only good but ACTUALLY has in depth commentary and metaphors and doesn’t lazily rely on mental illness and its bastardization. I loved this to pieces. Seriously. I’m about to tell everyone I know to pick this up, Listen to this via audiobook cuz omg Susan Bennett does not hold back!!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Body horror, Death, Dysphoria, Violence, Animal death, Gore, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Blood

Moderate: Torture, Confinement, Drug use, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Cursing

Minor: Racism, Child death, Fatphobia, Vomit, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Deportation

_meeg's review

NGL dude this one was just too brutal for me. Felt too unwell to justify continuing reading after the cactus scene.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Sexism, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Confinement, Grief, Suicide, Death, Murder, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Drug use, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Cursing, Excrement, Gore, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts

vixenreader's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Akin to the works of Ottessa Moshfesh, this is an intimate, scary study of a disturbed character going through ordeals that are both relatable and horrifying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Confinement, Fatphobia, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Gore, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Blood, Grief, Toxic friendship, Torture, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Body horror, Body shaming, Death of parent, Bullying, Violence, Cursing, and Death

Moderate: Kidnapping, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug use, Abandonment, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Cancer, Animal cruelty, Ableism, and Child death

Minor: Alcohol, Excrement, Vomit, and Lesbophobia

Please be aware that there is ageism against middle-aged women, cult activity, family dysfunction, murder of a family member, and purposeful glorification of a serial killer.

toofondofbooks_'s review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

WOWWW OKAY so the last like 30 pages had me holding my breath and freaking out so my brain is buzzing right now...

This book took awhile for me because it was just a lot. It was a lot emotionally and the writing was the kind of writing that demanded my full attention, so while I read this I couldn't be around people or multitasking. it had to just be me and Mary. I'm glad I took my time, and I'm glad I experienced it this way, and a couple of times I felt chills go down my spine at certain horror elements that I will not disclose here. I enjoyed the themes all throughout and wrote down a bunch of quotes in my journal. The afterword is also required reading for anyone who is brave enough to get to the end.

My main critique is that there were some scenes that really dragged and I think that if they had the fat trimmed off of them, they'd be more effective and the book wouldn't need to be as long.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Death, Fatphobia, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Bullying, Cursing, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

crispr_breadboard's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book was incredible. Gory, lots of triggers, but the careful lens of looking at a peri-menopause woman deeply embedded in the toxic patriarchy WHILE STILL being a book about religion, sexism, ageism, and horror? Phew. It was a great book. 

Another impressive note— the author wrote with notable care and sensitivity about menopause- he has also written an afterword discussing the very real and complex topic of whether a man should even be *allowed* to write about the topic with such core themes around womanhood, menopause, and self identity. He did a fantastic job, which he acknowledges is also thanks to his editor and her team of sensitivity readers. Great work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Gore, Grief, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Murder, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Cursing, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Fatphobia

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Excrement, and Death of parent

Also has creepy scenes about insects too.

mondovertigo's review

dark funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Murder, Gore, Body horror, and Body shaming

Moderate: Sexual violence and Kidnapping

Minor: Excrement